Lets see your Panzer crew member Soldbuchs

[polux]

Hello to all,

Really a real pleasure to be able to examine these magnificent documents in this thread introduced by Rob. Thank you to all !

The armored troops are not my domain of preference but have found two interesting documents to present here ( my small contribution ).

First a Soldbuch for a member of the SS Pz. Rgt. 5.

Cordial greetings.

Polux

[polux]

Then a Soldbuch of a more interesting unit for me (unit with foreign volunteers), a Soldbuch for a member of the SS Pz. A. A. 13.

Cordial greetings.

Polux

[F L Clemens]

his close combat verification with the taking of Clerf, attack on Noville, resistance in Rochefort and fighting in Bure

Very nice! And interesting that he signed his own certification.

[PzV]

I think at the end of the war it was rather chaotic on the German side and this verification was only a few days before taken as a US prisoner. Polux, very nice Soldbücher! Would it be possible to show some of the detail pages?

[JUNGCO]

PzV,
You've done it again.
Polux,
Don't tease us with just the inside and first page!
Jeff

[F L Clemens]

I think at the end of the war it was rather chaotic on the German side and this verification was only a few days before taken as a US prisoner. ...

Looking again at the document - it is a request to have the Nahkampf Tage approved, it is not an actual verification - so it is more legitimate that he himself signed it.

And it also shows that things were not so chaotic and his looming capture was not so much on his mind if he was still worried about getting his Nahkampfspange!

It's a great Soldbuch! If possible, I might want to refer to it in my Lauchert biography. (Lauchert was 2.PD commander at Noville.)

[Panzer Rob]

Great Soldbücher, Jim! If you ever decide to sell or trade the Pz.Rgt.39 Soldbuch and Führerschein to Major Waldeck (same last name as my 2.Pz.Div. Normandy Panther vet, but apparently no relation!) I’d be more than happy to work out a deal with you : )


Here’s another one of my Tiger unit Soldbücher to a Obergefreiter who was killed in an aerial attack on 10.April 1945 while serving in the Stab of s.Pz.Abt.511


Soldbuch is a Zweitschrift, issued on 9.July 1943 through the Werkstatt Kompanie/s.Pz.Abt.502 to Richard Wrchlavsky who was born on 09.Feb.1921 in Kuniowitz, Kreise Mies. Notice the quality and detail of the blackletter handwriting used when initially filling in the Soldbuch – no doubt a lot of time was put into filling this one out, and it is one of the nicest I have seen.

Wrchlavsky was awarded the KVK.II with swords on 26.December 1942, the black wound badge on 25.January 1943 and the Panzerkampfabzeichin in Silver on 06.April 1943, all through s.Pz.Abt.502 and all earned no doubt through the recovery and repair of the Abteilung’s Tigers, more often than not (and confirmed by the award of the PAB in silver) under intense enemy fire.

Wrchlavsky continued to serve with the Wkst.Kp of s.Pz.Abt.502 through the remainder of 1943, all of 1944 and into 1945, when on 10.January s.Pz.Abt.502 was re-designated s.Pz.Abt.511.

According to two accompanying documents found inside the rear flap of Wrchlavsky’s Soldbuch, as of 14.March 1945 Wrchlavsky was receiving training on the Tiger (by this point most certainly the Tiger II) in Panzer-Lehrgänge "Tiger" and as of 23.March 1945 Wrchlavsky had been transferred to the Stabskompanie of s.Pz.Abt.511 which at this time was stationed in Germany at Sennelager, Paderborn while the 1., 2. and 3. Kompanies, by then reduced to small scratch units consisting of Tiger IIs (and in the case of the 1.Kp - Hetzers) were fighting off overwhelming and constantly advancing Soviet forces around Königsberg and Fischhausen.

Entries on pages 12/13 confirm that on 10.April 1945 Wrchlavsky was admitted to Reserve-Lazarett Goldberg near Lauterburg with wounds sustained from an enemy (allied) aerial attack (code 31d) from which he died at 16:00 hours that same day. An entry at the bottom of page 15 confirms Wrchlavsky’s death, entered 18.April 1945. The first date appears to be 16.April, but I believe this is actually "10" - this more than likely explains why the date of 16.April is entered on page 01 when Wrchlavsky's Soldbuch was closed out.


Rob

[PzV]

Rob, very nice Tiger Soldbuch and the additional documentation makes it the more interesting!

FL, feel free to use the Soldbuch as a reference. I have considerably more from him including his handwritten chronology of where he was and what he did as well as two photo albums.

Jim

[Daniele C]

Jim You have a great collection!!!

Polux,Great Soldbucher! thanks to share them

Rob,Im tired of givin you compliments,But you deserve them all my friend with those great pieces!!

[Hundestaffel]

UNREAL.

This thread is just getting better and better all the time.

Beautiful photo in that Pz. Rgt. 4 Soldbuch, PzV......Incredible SS Wrapper Soldbuchs Polux, and Robert that 502 Tiger man is mind-blowing....

Put's my piddly Hundestaffel material to shame.......

A very jealous "Hundestaffel"

I have to admit, since Panzer is my first interest, (my father was a Panzer crewman) I have followed this thread and really enjoy it. I was just wondering if anyone would have any idea what would have become of Soldbuchs that were taken from German POWs by Americans. I can not believe that after they were processed, that they would have just been thrown in the trash.
Again, really enjoy this thread,
Ralph Boos.

[PzV]

I am really happy that Rob started this thread as it is getting to be one of my favorites! Guys, keep them coming!

[Bobbe]

Fantastic soldbuchs guys!!!

@Rob: compliments for your tiger man soldbuch!

@Polux: great soldbuchs in particular that from the SS Pz. Rgt. 5 !
Great photo I love it...
I 'm looking for something like that but it's very hard to find one...

Compliments to all for this thread...please take it live!

Cheers,
Roberto

[Panzer Rob]

Thanks for the complements on the KIA 502/511 Tiger Soldbuch, guys! I'm glad you enjoyed looking at the scans... It's an amazing piece of "Tiger" history and one of the centerpieces of my Panzer Soldbuch collection. I am very happy to share it with all of you.

Jim- Yes! Having that s.Pz.Abt.511 document makes the Soldbuch all the more special - and desirable. Had it not been for those two documents (this 511 doc and the Panzer-Lehrgänge "Tiger" doc) I would have just assumed that he ended the war serving in the Wrst.Kompanie of the 502/511 as there are no unit entries for s.Pz.Abt.511. Also, and I probably don't need to say this, but any surviving document with s.Pz.Abt.511 entered on it is extremely difficult to locate, especially personal documents pertaining to a individual soldier who served within the unit.

I've got some other Tiger and standard Panzer, StuG, Panzer-Artillerie,etc. unit Soldbücher and Wehrpäße, but will hold off on posting them until we see some other examples - don't want to post them all at once

Rob

[nonameno]

Hello Gentlemen,
Wonderful thread indeed! Here are some pictures I posted before of a Sturmgeschutze NCO who was in from the begining until the very end as a stug commander. The grouping is complete with pre-war through post war documents.
Thank you,
Curtiss